Not Easily Broken
by wickedlfairy17
Summary: How different would it have been for Bella if she had been a bit more special than a 'normal girl', how would Edward react to her past? I thought I'd give this 'Bella is Harry Potter's twin' prompt a shot lol
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. What can I say? Lately I have been seeing this prompt a lot and have yet to find a satisfying one. The idea has a lot of potential so I had to see if I could come close to it. I have seen too many where they just skip the growing up part letting a few lines explain about seven years of information! Or they do something horrible like start out in New moon and suddenly look here's Bella the witch! **

**Never explaining with a good enough excuse WHY Bella never bothered to mention she was something other than human! I mean COME ON! Plus doing it that way leaves a lot to be desired I would much rather watch her struggle with this secret then just have her begin at the place where she reveals it all! Not to mention how would she take falling apart like that with all that power behind her? Too many questions and not enough answers! So here I go again starting on something I thought needed to be written!**

**Prologue**

The incidents of that night would reverberate the world over but the truth of that night would forever be lost, trapped inside the minds of the only three to witness it. Two would forget over time as all children forget over time and one would lose the exact memory to madness. The wizarding world needed a hero, someone they could lay the victory to, so Albus Dumbeldore gave them Harry  
Potter. Harry, a small toddler, would from that day forward be named 'the-boy-who-lived' famous for the events that had lost him both his parents and an easier life.

Currently one Albus Dumbeldore was arguing with one Minerva Mcgonagall about the placement of the now famous Harry Potter with his only living muggle relatives. The argument was interrupted by the arrival of Hagrid, keeper of keys at Hogwarts, with a very precious package. By the time Hagrid pulled to a stop beside them Minerva had given up dissuading Dumbeldore of his foolish plan and simply stood back fuming.

Hagrid carried the carefully swaddled boy to Dumbeldore and watched him place the boy on a stoop not too far down the road. He came back looking merry and hopeful the twinkle in his eyes going full blast. "Professor?" Hagrid called when he saw the Headmaster getting ready to leave. Dumbeldore sighed; he did not want another argument about where he was placing the boy, not after his rather heated one with Minerva so he got right down to it.

"I can assure you, my boy, that Harry will be perfectly fine with the Dursleys," "But Professor what about…" "Really Hagrid have you no faith in me?" That stopped him for a minute, giving Dumbeldore ample time to get away, Minerva right behind him, neither waiting on Hagrid. He stood there frozen from shock for a while before a tiny baby's cry drew his attention to the motorcycle he had flown in on.

Had Dumbeldore stayed he might have actually heard Hagrid's question he might have foreseen the problems that could have come. He might have even taken action to insure those problems would not happen. As it was he hadn't stayed, so he never heard what Hagrid had to say and one small little girl's path in life was changed forever. In a different world Dumbeldore stayed, in that world the girl had been placed with a young couple halfway across the world growing up ignorant of her destiny, of her power.

As it was in this world Dumbeldore hadn't stayed so Hagrid, simple, kind-hearted Hagrid saw no problem dropping off the little girl next to her twin. After all, Belladonna Potter was Harry Potter's twin so she belonged with him. Dumbeldore would have seen the problem though, he would have seen what having someone to share misery with, and to draw strength from could do to change Harry. He wouldn't be as moldable when the time came for him to be collected or 'rescued' from his horribly pig-headed relatives. Dumbeldore would have seen what this could do to his plans for the boy and he would have taken measures to prevent it.

However, Dumbeldore wasn't there so Hagrid, simple, trusting Hagrid, assumed that he meant for the girl to be placed with her twin. This one act would change the course of events from that moment after, whether or not it was a good change would remain to be seen.

**Chapter 1- Poison and Freak**

Number four Private Drive was like every other house on the small cul-de-sac, ordinary, uniform, and dreadfully boring. In fact the only thing that made number four different from every other house on the street was the two very extraordinary beings that dwelled within its walls. Now this wasn't a matter of pride for the other residents of this house because the Dursleys absolutely hated anything that wasn't what they considered normal.

The treatment of those two extraordinary beings was a testament to this fact, as they were not even aware of their own true names instead they knew themselves as Poison and Freak. Now Poison was the girl, she had long wavy mahogany hair that shone molten red in the sunlight; she had very pale skin, and with unusually full lips. Her bottom lip was slightly fuller than her top and she had a heart-shaped face with a slightly pointed chin.

Poison was small, smaller than most girls her age, and extremely clumsy always finding ways to trip over her own feet. Freak was her twin but they were very different from one another only sharing a few similarities, they both had the same piercing green eyes that seemed almost to glow. Freak was entirely different from Poison, his hair was a pitch black and while long for a boy reaching to his shoulders it was always in a constant state of disarray refusing to be tamed. He also had pale skin a product of a life shut indoors and while small for his age he wasn't quite as small as Poison.

Freak had gangly arms and legs like that of a young colt, showing hidden potential waiting for its time. His face was more oval-shaped but he did share the same lips as his sister. Freak, while not graceful, wasn't clumsy like his sister and had adopted the role of her protector trying hard to keep her from falls. He had an identical pair of emerald eyes and a strange lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead that he rather liked.

Poison and Freak were six-years-old and were just about to start school. However, Poison would argue that they could learn just fine by themselves. After all they had taught themselves how to read and write. She was the quicker one but Freak was very smart in his own right. Poison was the one with all the schemes though, constantly finding sneaky ways to improve their lives while Freak was the one that did all the heavy lifting.

Freak wasn't shy about admitting that while he was smart, Poison was utterly brilliant, just as she wasn't shy about admitting she wasn't nearly as strong as he could be. Freak was fit, from primarily doing all the heavy lifting in the house, as Vernon Dursley was too lazy to do it himself. Things like taking out the trash, fixing broken things, chopping firewood, those sorts of things fell to Freak. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry those kinds of things fell to Poison.

In fact, it was her cooking that insured that they ate decently portioned meals, as that by the age of five Poison's cooking was so exquisite that when she threatened to never cook another thing again. No amounts of threats worked to make her cook until they agreed to give them enough food that they weren't constantly in a state of hunger. Just one of the many ways Poison used her cleverness to improve their situations.

She was a sly one, Freak was equally sly but he had a harder time gathering the nerve to stand up to their relatives. That's where Poison and Freak differed; inside the house away from public eyes Poison was the stronger twin. However, once they stepped out the house she was painfully shy and so Freak took on the role of leader.

That's the way things were for them, Poison was very mature for her age as was Freak, a product of not being allowed a childhood. Poison was more like a mother in some ways to Freak, because she was the one who held him when the nightmares were too much. The one that stood up for him when he could not, the one who urged him forward when all he wanted to do was lay back. It only became more prominent after they started school and things in their life took a turn.

The first day of school was hard for them; Freak couldn't let go of Poison's hand for fear of her stumbling and losing him. Their clothes and their closeness made them stand out in a not-so-good way. They both had on Dudley's cast-off, clothes that were ten-times to big, in horrible condition and in Poison's case not in her gender's type. It only got worse as the day went on, as they didn't answer when the teacher called their names not knowing that when she said, "Belladonna and Harrison Potter" she had meant them.

By lunch the taunts were getting too much for them and Poison had enough. She made Freak come with her to escape to the library so that they wouldn't have to bear it any longer. It was there in the quiet security the book shelves offered that Poison turned to her brother, "I don't like my name," she said her nose wrinkled a bit, "its so long!" Freak nodded his head in agreement, "I don't like mine either."

They had known for some time that their real names weren't Poison and Freak; it was just that those were the only names the Dursleys' called them with any consistency. Now that they knew their real names they weren't sure they wanted to be called that with any consistency either. Poison's eyes lit up as an idea struck, "I know how about I just call you Harry for short? Isn't that better than Harrison or Freak?" Harry thought about it for a moment before he was smiling in agreement, "And I'll just call you Bella, I heard someone say once that means Beautiful in Italian, I think it suits you better." Bella blushed red and hugged Harry close, a warmth blossoming in her chest.

They had names now, real names, not insults or pompous extended ones but true-blue names. Bella looked around her and started to pull a book from the shelf to read while Harry started on the homework for that night. It was while Bella was reading that an awful realization struck her. The Dursleys hated it when either of them succeeded where Dudley had failed, would school be any different? Usually the twins threw games, and didn't read lengthy novels where they could be seen. Would they have to fail school to avoid punishments from the Dursleys from succeeding where Dudley would surely fail?

Could they let themselves do badly in school? Bella looked to Harry, he was answering one of those 'get to know you worksheets' and had just gotten to the question 'what would you like to be when you grow up?' With a sinking stomach Bella knew that they could not fail in school otherwise they would never be free of the Dursleys. They had to succeed if they wanted to do anything good with their lives, if they wanted to get away from them.

The question was could they deal with the consequences of doing well in school? Bella looked to Harry, "Harry," she said to get his attention, "No matter what happens at the house don't let them intimidate you. If we want to get out of there we'll need to do well here so don't let them make you fail. This is important; if we want out of that house we'll need to go to a great school after primary that means we gotta be good enough for a scholarship somewhere. That means Dudley can't win this time," she grasped his hand and looked into his eyes. At the same time they said, "No matter what they do to us."

-X-

With a bang Bella set the book down in front of Harry with a satisfied smirk on her face, the one she only got when she finally found what she was looking for or learned something she had been meaning to. "What's this?" Harry asked eyebrow rose in questioning. "This is a book on Magical Archetypes, in novels, history, epics, and myths." "And why is this important again?" "Because Harry, I've figured it out, why when strange things happen we get blamed, why the Dursleys hate us, why that teacher's hair turned blue and why you ended up on the school roof last week!" Harry blushed at the reminder, he hadn't figured out how it happened and had tried to tell Bella that the wind must of picked him up taking him there. She had hit him over the head and called him an idiot.

"SO what is it!" asked the eager seven year old, wanting an end to the mystery for once and for all. "Well its obvious isn't it? Its magic of course!" Bella said grinning like the cat that caught the canary. Harry just looked confused, "Aunt Petunia says there's no such thing as magic." At this Bella got an exasperated look on his face and looked him dead in the eye, "When have we ever believed anything the Dursleys have told us?" "Good point!" Harry said smiling, if the Dursleys said it didn't exist it most likely did.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Bella asked as she sat down next to him opening her book to begin reading through it again. "I don't know why you asking me? You are the one who always comes up with the schemes why don't you tell me what we're going to do." Harry said as he rolled his eyes at her offended look. "I don't always come up with the schemes!" At his looks of disbelief she hissed, "its true, what about the time we needed to get those blank progress reports so we could fool the Dursleys about our grades? Hmmm, who's the one who came up with the plan to get Mrs. Flanders out of the office?" Harry sighed, "Okay I'll give you that one but still you're better at this kind of thing."

He smiled sweetly at her and Bella couldn't stay mad any longer. "Okay, well I think what we need to do is practice. If we have magic it should be like any other talent, practice makes perfect, if we can learn to control it then we can avoid it reacting by accident! Then we wont have these things happening around us, they don't happen the Dursleys wont punish us for it!" Harry nodded in agreement but a thought occurred to him, "How do we practice something no one else does? We don't have anyone to teach us." "Simple we do what we've always done with things like this we teach ourselves, we'll use books, like this one. They talk of magic something must be true, or at least close to the truth."

Harry smiled; there she went again, finding some way to make their lives better. The possibilities magic gave them, the options they had opened to them now, life just got a little bit easier for the twins. Bella got a devious look in her eyes, "There was one other thing, Harry, that I wanted to show you." "What now? Are we some magical creatures that aren't even human?" Bella shot him a funny look, "I hope not but that's not what I wanted to show you."

She turned and pulled some pamphlets from her book bag spreading them out on the table they were using. "These are all the schools that have a great reputation and scholarship programs…. And they all have dormitories so we don't have to live at the Dursleys." Harry hugged her tightly making Bella laugh, "Calm down you don't even know if we can get in." "I know but all I heard was 'don't have to live with Dursleys' it puts a guy in a right mood you know!" Harry said laughing along with her.

Bella smiled sweetly and patted the arm that was still slung over her shoulder. "I know Harry, I don't like living with them any more than you do." She picked up one of the thicker pamphlets, "Now this one looks the most promising. All we'll need to do is skip a grade and score high on exams to get their attention. If we apply for the scholarship after we manage to skip a grade they'll be looking at us earlier so we'll have higher chances of getting in."

They had only attended primary for a year so far but Bella was sure they could skip a few grades if they tried hard enough. Harry wasn't as confident but he knew that Bella would make it happen for them if she had to force him to study every spare minute. She did so now anyway, she was damn near determined to get them out of the Dursleys as fast as humanly possible. Harry actually felt a bit guilty because she spent a lot of extra time going over things with him when she was already way ahead of him. He knew she held back so she could be with him, if she had chosen to she could have already started third year.

Still Bella didn't mind helping him, not that he needed much help it was just that he didn't get things quite as fast as she did. She had big plans for them, most of them centered on getting them out of the Dursleys and on the road to success. Bella thought that would be the ultimate revenge on their relatives, if they were successful in life than all they did to hold them down counted as nothing. All the insults, all the ways they tried to keep them dumb and normal, useless. This was part of the reason her relatives called her Poison, because they knew had Harry been alone he would not stand against them.

In their minds Bella 'poisoned' Harry and drew his freakishness out making him worse every day. Bella was actually more than a little proud of this fact because it meant that she helped to keep Harry strong. Harry stood up for her so much that she was glad that she could stand up for him when he couldn't do it for himself. Bella smiled as she pointed out another feature in their choice school, and thought back to the days when they were Poison and Freak.

Nothing could keep them down because whenever one of them went down, the other was there to stand. They were strong as long as they had each other. They were all the family they had in the world, they were each other's best friends, like two halves of a whole.

-x-

"No, not like that Harry," Bella said quietly and pushed the paper back to him. "You have to WANT it to change, want it more than anything, NEED it to change and it will." Harry scowled and screwed his face up in concentration. Slowly the paper fluttered twisting in the air, moving like water and swirling until finally it wasn't a paper any more but a delicate looking butterfly. "YES! You did it Harry!" Bella squealed and engulfed him in a hug. He was smiling widely, laughing a bit.

Practicing magic had to be the highlight of their days together; it was the only time that they felt free and truly liberated. When they used their magic it was like stretching your muscles after being cramped up for a long time or getting a drink of water after days without. Bella thought the feeling came because they had not known they had magic for so long that now that they were really using it their magic was happier.

They had been practicing for over a year now, doing little things like making things float, changing the color of things and now they were working on turning one thing into another. Harry was often frustrated because while he could understand the ideas Bella came up with to practice he always had trouble 'visualizing'. He just couldn't get the clear picture in his head as well as Bella could, it was not that Bella had more power, (they had measured they were the same) but it was that she was more imaginative than he was at times.

Though Harry did find it easier to change the color of things than she did, he could change his own hair color easier than Bella could change hers so he found comfort in that. They had been studying hard the past two years, managing to finally skip a grade and gain the attention of the private schools they had wanted to attend. However what Harry had not counted on was how very driven Bella was in getting them as fast as possible out of their relatives' house.

As a result they were due for testing again soon to see if they could skip another grade leaving them in sixth year next school rotation instead of fifth. Bella was a demon in studying if she was motivated enough, which she certainly was, and she made sure he was going through the same hellish study routine as hers. It was only a matter of time now before they could finally leave this place, and Harry had no doubt in his mind that Bella would find a way for them to get out.

"Harry I've been going over some things and came across this book on mediation. It's all about finding your inner peace but I think if we apply the same principles we could go about finding our inner magic! If it works out well, I think it'll bond us more closely to our magic and help us with our control." She looked at him in questioning silently asking his opinion, "I think that's a great idea Bella!"

Bella smiled, properly encouraged, and began to outline everything she read in the book to Harry. That's how it always was, Bella may be brilliant and imaginative but she had confidence issues that Harry helped to sooth. Even after all this time she still had trouble with other people, still blushed when spoken to and still hid behind her hair when she was embarrassed. While Harry was better with people, Bella was better with books and it showed.

Where Harry walked with a silent confidence born from his constant role as Bella's protector in public, Bella walked slightly huddled with a book in front of her chest. It was just how they were; the result was that no one besides Harry ever saw the REAL Bella. To him Bella was kind, sweet, soft, loving, utterly brilliant, amazingly open-minded, gentle, brave and devotedly loyal. The rest of the world didn't get the chance to see what he did because Bella was too shy to be herself around anyone excluding him.

-x-

Bella sat quietly on the couch, face hidden from view by her hair but her eyes were trained solely on the man before her. She was immensely glad Vernon was not home and Petunia was reasonable enough to see the benefits of behaving well. Bella felt Harry grip her hand in reassurance and she lifted her face a bit.

This was the man who could change their life, could make it better or condemn them to hell. It was incredibly hard for her to sit there, and not hide behind Harry as she was want to do. This man was here for an interview with them to determine if they would go to Beasley's Institute for Girls and Boys.

Harry was also extremely nervous but hid this fact better than Bella managed to. He couldn't believe this man was the one who would decide their life for them. It made him very uncomfortable to think about it. Mr. Hatter, it was a funny last name and reminded him of Alice in Wonderland. Harry really didn't like the idea of this guy deciding everything that mattered to them though, as funny as his name was Harry found no humor in it.

Their hands clenched when he brought his suitcase up and opened it to withdraw some papers. An hour later they had a full scholarship to the Institute and were seeing the man out the door with their Aunt. They had to wait until they were in their cupboard to celebrate quietly however, mostly because they did not want to alert Petunia to how happy this made them.

-x-

Bella hurried down the hall, glancing worriedly at the letter in her hands before continuing on her skirts swishing around her as she went. Harry and Bella had been attending the academy for a good two years now and it has been some of the happiest times of their lives. For one without having the restrictions that the Dursleys had placed on them, they have had more time to do the things they wanted to as opposed to what they had to.

As a result they could finally relax their study time to reasonable levels, but they would still be starting ninth year in the fall. Bella had already chosen her classes, while Harry was still debating on his own. That wasn't what she was worried about though. Since their discovery of magic they had been working tirelessly on gaining control over their powers.

This had worked somewhat; they both could do amazing things, things most people can only dream about. However, all this time they had been working on the belief that they were the only two of their kind but today she had discovered that was untrue. The letter in her hand proved that at least, but what were they going to do about it?

She had so many plans, so many, none of them included finding a secret world of magic and leaving everything she worked so hard for behind! How was she supposed to become a doctor at some magic school? How was she supposed to do anything she had dreamed of now? It was a devastating effect. Mostly because she knew that they needed to go, they needed to learn this side of themselves in order to understood where they came from.

Bella worried her lip as she thought of it, trying to find some way that they could fulfill both of their dreams. She didn't want to give up her non-magical education in favor of just concentrating on magic because she knew it was better to keep their options open. Really, what if they ended up hating the magical world and were stuck there because they didn't know enough of their non-magical one? She was almost out of breath by the time she reached the dormitories where Harry was waiting for her.

His face said enough, the excited grin, and the letter that he had gripped tightly in his hand…Bella knew then there was no other way to avoid going. "Isn't it great Bells? A real Magic school! With real Magic courses! Think of all we're going to learn!" Harry said excitedly as he hugged her spinning them around the room in his enthusiasm. Bella just closed her eyes and hugged him back, knowing she could never tell him how much she wanted them to stay. A sad little smile touched her lips as she listened to him go on about how the owl had surprised him in the middle of his fencing lesson dropping a letter on his head.

Harry was the adventurous one; he saw this as a grand thing. It was something new and exciting. A whole new world to explore and learn from had Harry in a frenzy of anticipation. Bella knew he was dreaming of fighting dragons, saving maidens, casting spells, and all the things those heroes had done in their books. She knew it had always bugged him that magic had come easier to her, that every time they tried something from one of the fiction books Bella was the first to get it.

It peeved him that while she had mastered the art of talking to animals, Harry could only manage snakes, and Bella knew that it was his hope that with real teachers he would do better. Bella didn't think she was 'better' at magic, not really, it was just focusing and visualizing what she wanted came easier to her. Harry had a harder time of it because he was so whimsical, were she was practical. When Harry tried a spell the first time he thought of everything he could do with it not the spell itself and so it took him a few tries to get it right.

Still, Bella wondered if she could convince the school to continue to send her the assignments maybe she wouldn't have to give up her dreams completely. Harry was chattering happily about this and that, about the things on their school lists. Bella bit her lip as she looked at the long list, wondering if the school had a scholarship program they could apply for. Sighing, she smiled and nodded at whatever Harry said trying very hard to hide her disappointment.

Bella really liked the Institute the programs they had were amazing and the quality of the education was phenomenal. She had no idea what this Hogwarts had to offer, what programs they had, and she hated going into something like this unprepared. So she sat down at Harry's desk to write their reply to the Deputy headmistress.

_Deputy Headmistress Mcgonagall,_

_Upon having received your invitation to attend Hogwarts there are some questions that have to be asked. First, do you have a scholarship program as we are unsure how we are supposed to pay for schooling at this time. Secondly, if you could include instructions on where we might find the place to purchase the school supplies it would be greatly appreciated. Last, if it would not be too much trouble would you also include some instructions on how to get to the school. _

_Sincerely the Potters,_

Opening the window Bella called to the owl waiting in the trees nearby who gladly came to her. Attaching the letter she made sure the owl knew who to take it to before she let it fly off. "You know I really wish I could talk to them too! Snakes are so boring all they wanted to talk about are mice, the cold, and mating. It's really annoying!" Harry laughed as he hugged Bella from behind unable to hold in his excitement.

"Its not so great most animals aren't that intelligent but every so often you can find one that carry on a conversation. None of them understand human logic though; it's all about survival with them. Heck some of the weaker ones like rabbits know that there is a great chance they are gonna get eaten but they don't seem to mind." Bella smiled bemused before she turned to give her twin a kiss on the cheek. "I gotta go I have to see the secretary about scheduling a meeting with the Headmaster about something."

"Alright, will you come back later though I need some help with this spell I'm working on." Harry said smiling. "Sure, no problem I'll sneak over after curfew." With that Bella made her way out to make her appointment with the Headmaster. Truthfully she was more than a bit worried about all of this, especially where their education was concerned. Bella didn't think this magical school had a non-magical counterpart so if they attended, which they would, they could lose touch with this world.

That was not something she wanted to happen because then their options for their life would be severely limited to the magical world. She didn't think Harry would mind that much but Bella knew she would. Over the next few days she had discussions with the Headmaster about their independent study program. She used the excuse that their relatives were thinking of moving further away, not allowing them to travel back here easily.

By the end of the week Bella had gotten all the forms she would need their Aunt to fill out and permission from the Headmaster for them to enter the program. They had also gotten a reply from the Deputy Headmistress Mcgonagall, she had sent a lot of information for them. A detailed guide on how to get to the train station that would take them to Hogwarts, as well as a map on how to get into the Magical market place and how to access their bank account.

Apparently their parents had left them a trust fund for their schooling, she had enclosed their key with the letter. This didn't seem to bother Harry at all but it really disturbed Bella. After all what were the Professors of this school doing with their key to their trust fund? The funny things was that the letter they had gotten from the Deputy had been overall very vague. Hardly any solid information at all had been included in the letter. What Bella and Harry hadn't realized is that Mcgonagall had the mistaken notion that the Dursley's were going to accompany them. Had she known that she had just sent two children, on their own, into the Wizarding World she would have been horrified.

Harry was very excited to be going however, jumping all over the place and generally making a fuss. It made Bella smile; it had been a while since Harry had acted so carefree. It was partly her fault, Bella knew, because she pushed him so hard. Harry never held it against her though since he knew she only did the things she had to in order to make their lives better. The summer was coming soon, Bella was dreading talking to their Aunt about this but it had to be done.

They would need to go to London twice, once for their supplies and once to be dropped off. Not to mention Bella had to get her to sign the forms do they could enter the independent study program and to top it off Bella also had to convince her to relay their work back to the Institute. Maybe a minor mind bending spell could take care of this, but Harry hated it when she used magic to control people. Bella stole a glance at her brother while thinking about what she would have to do.

Bella decided she just wouldn't tell Harry about it, and she'd cast the spell on their Aunt without him noticing. It wasn't like she was making Petunia do anything bad, in fact she was just making her be a good relative for once. Family helped each other anyway, or at least they were supposed to. Still, Bella just knew Harry would think it was a bad thing even if it was for a good reason. Last time she had taken control of anyone Harry had been so upset with her over it he hadn't talked to her for four days! He said that she was making People into Puppets and he hated that.

Deep down Bella knew it stemmed from how out of control Harry's own life was and so she had stomped down her pride to apologize afterwards. If Harry had any clue the things she was planning to do to their Aunt, Bella was positive he would be appalled and angry. However, that was not going to stop her because Bella knew she was only going to do those things to ensure their future. So when the Twins finally left the Academy for the last time only one mourned it's loose, the other celebrated a new beginning.

-x-

Harry looked at Bella in disbelief, "Are you _**sure**_ this is it Bells?" She sighed deeply looking at the run down pub a little distastefully, "Yes, Harry it says very clearly in Professor Mcgonagall's letter that _this_ 'Leaky Cauldron' is the way in." Harry snorted through his nose, "Well if you say so," he said before he moved to enter. However Bella grabbed his arm to stop him and he looked at her questioning. "What is it now Bells?" "You're not wearing your cap," Bella smirked holding up the pale green baseball cap that read '# 2'.

"Ah, do I have to Bells?" Harry whined. Bella merely smirked wider saying, "Catch", before she tossed the hat to him chuckling evilly. Harry scowled mumbling, "I should have known better than to bet against you." Bella heard him and smiled slyly, "Yeah but you didn't so today **I'm** Number 1! And who are you…" Harry huffed, "Number 2." "Got that right!" For all his posturing Harry still had to hide his smile when Bella took his hand to drag him inside.

Bella seemed to know where she was going, guiding him away from the dimly lit pub and into the back right up to a brick wall. Just as Harry moved to say something Bella tapped the wall a few times and both of their jaws dropped when it folded away. "Welcome to Diagon Alley," Bella murmured before squeezing Harry's hand. There was so many strange people, so many things to look at that Bella had lost her confidence and stepped back to hide behind her 'Number 2'. Harry squeezed her hand back reassuringly before asking, "Where to first Bells?" "Gringotts, the bank at the end of the lane," Bella answered morosely. She hated it that she panicked so much in crowds, not that she could help that she was so painfully shy.

Harry nodded his head confidently and tugged her along to the bank, taking charge of the situation when he felt Bella weaken as they always did for one another. At the bank the Two barely spared a glance at the poem on the Bank's wall to engrossed in studying the fierce looking creatures guarding the doors. "Goblins I think," Bella whispered into Harry's ear as they crossed the threshold. When they got inside Bella perked up a bit, there were fewer people in here, but she still let him drag her up to the first open teller.

That's when Harry froze, not sure how to handle this sort of situation. Bella sensing this stepped up from behind him pulling their key from the chain around her neck she placed it on the teller's counter. "We need to access our vault could you help us do so?" The goblin (she was sure that is what the thing was now) sneered at her before barking, "Griphook." A smaller goblin appeared and the Teller handed her back their key, "Take them to their vault," the Teller snapped before going back to counting his gold.

The ride down was fun; the Twins enjoyed it, as it was the closest they had been to riding a roller coaster. Both found they had to force their mouths closed when they first gazed upon the contents of their vaults. Neither had ever seen so much money in their entire lives, it made them feel a bit dizzy. Bella snapped out of it first grabbing a bag and pilling some gold in while Harry asked what the coins translated to. "There are 17 sickles to the Galleon and 29 knuts to a Sickle," the Goblin said nastily. Bella sent Harry an amused look while placing some of her magic in her heavy moneybag to insure that it wouldn't be stolen before placing it in her coat's inner pocket.

When they got out of the bank they were at a bit of a lose of where to start, so Bella took out their lists and glanced over them. "I say we get the trunk first so we can organize our things as we go along." "Good Idea, but do you know where we should go to get 'em?" Bella's face scrunched up in concentration before it smoothed out, "None whatsoever but I'm sure if we just head down the Alley we'll find one." "Ok," Harry replied dubiously.

Hand in hand they made their way down the alley, scouting the area as they went both noting stores they would return to later. Near a clothing store they found a supply store that had trunks in the display in the window so they went in. It turned out to be a bit like a safari store, the trunks had multiple compartments that the teller was happy to show them how to operate the trunks. Bella thought this type of Trunk would be very useful, it even had charms on it that made it feather light and shrinkable. So even though the trunks were a bit on the expensive side they bought them without a second thought.

While they were there Bella found endless book bags that had the same charms as the trunks so she got those along with a couple of wand holsters. The teller promised the holsters were of the highest quality, made from dragon hide and would adjust to them as they grow. Bella thought that all those items were a sound investment that would last them through their schooling. So after they got a tutorial on how to use the trunks and the book bags they left.

"Robes next? We won't stick out so much if we wear wizarding clothes," Bella murmured to Harry looking at the clothing shop. Harry nodded, knowing Bella hated clothes shopping almost as much as he did. "Like pulling a Band-Aid then?" Harry asked nervously. Bella hummed in agreement and held his hand tightly before stepping inside. In the end it wasn't so bad, the witch was fast with their Hogwarts robes and they just let her pick their casual robes without a thought. She seemed to be delighted to be able to dress them however she wanted, something both of them suspected hardly ever happened.

They left the shop wearing similar looking green robes, Bella's was more feminine and Harry's made him look very male. Next Bella practically dragged Harry into the bookstore, Harry just sighed knowing it was probably better to get this out of the way now. Harry just rolled his eyes at the look on Bella's face, like she'd died and gone to heaven. Harry was quite content letting Bella pile a crazy amount of books into a flimsy looking basket that he was silently amazed didn't break.

When they finally made it out of their Bella was blushing like mad, the look on the teller's face when they checked out had Harry laughing. Harry sighed in relief as they made their way down the alley, stopping at the Apothecary for potion supplies. Bella was so determined they be as prepared as possible so she ended up buying a bit of everything, along with getting a mailing catalog (like she had at the bookstore). They made a quick stop at the cauldron shop where Bella picked out the cauldrons while Harry got the potion kits.

Then came the thing they both wanted to save for last, their wands. Both of them were practically vibrating with excitement when they entered the dusty old shop. Bella felt it first and she squeezed his hand. Harry felt it next; the amount of magic in this place was unbelievable. "AH, Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, I have been expecting you," the creepy old man had popped out of nowhere making both of them jump. "It seems just like yesterday your parents were in here buying their first wands," The old man mumbled. He was seriously creeping Bella out so Harry took charge of the situation. "Yes, well we need to get our first wands so if you don't mind," Harry said while gesturing to the racks.

"The wand chooses the wizard Mr. Potter, its not always clear why," he said while bringing down the first wands. To save time they both tried the wands at the same time. Still even so it took two hours before Harry found his wand, 11 inches, holly, and phoenix feather core. "Curious, curious," the old man mumbled as he wrapped up Harry's wand for him. Harry was about to question him when Bella gripped his arm to stop him, shaking her head at him Harry remained silent. This man was seriously creeping Bella out so she just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

It took another twenty minutes to find her wand, 12inches, yew, with a thestral hair core. They couldn't get out of there fast enough when it was done; making it out to the alley like the devil was on their heels. "Never again," Bella said seriously. Harry nodded in his agreement, "So freaking creepy." Still after a bit Bella smirked, "My wands bigger than yours number 2." They laughed their chills off before they decided to head to Eeylops Owl Emporium.

The sight of what seemed like hundreds of owls was awe inspiring to both Harry and Bella. There were so many different types, big ones, small ones, brown ones, white ones, loud ones and quiet ones. There were so many to choose from the twins didn't have the slightest idea in where to start, so in silent agreement they split up to search through them all. While Harry was looking for an owl that seemed friendly, Bella was listening to them speak and judging them that way.

Bella avoided the ones that sounded dim witted, and Harry steered clear of the ones that seemed to be scowling (though he wasn't entirely sure how a bird managed that). Harry found her in the back alone, perched prettily in a corner away from the other owls. She was a pretty white owl who came to him before he even called her down landing on his shoulder daintily. He loved her right away and she seemed to be fond of him immediately going to grooming his hair for him.

The owl Bella found was on the opposite end of the store, he was black and regal looking. The other birds seemed in awe of him and generally avoided getting in his way, at least that was the impression their whispers gave her. _"You're very handsome_," Bella said to him as he stared down at her. He shifted on his perch adjusting his feathers, _"Well you're a very strange human,"_ he replied. _"What's your name, Handsome?" "Eros, little one."_ _"Do you wish to come home with me Eros?"_ Eros refrained from responding he simply flew down to her shoulder. Bella laughed as he ruffled his feathers and got comfortable on his new perch.

Harry found her then and when they saw each other they smiled widely trying very hard to not laugh. They looked like mirror images, even their owls were perched on opposite shoulders, and everything about the other was opposite. Finally the twins let a few giggles escape; "Only we could be this in sync," Bella said laughing. "Yeah," Harry agreed, "Bella would you ask her what her name is?" "Sure," Bella smiled grabbing Harry's hand as they made their way up front to buy their owls. "_So what's your name beautiful?" "Don't have one yet."_ The white owl replied before promptly ignoring her to return her attention to Harry's hair.

"She's waiting for you to name her Harry," Bella said hiding her smile. When they were paying for their owls the twins opted against buying cages and bought nice perches instead for them. Along with treats, and a catalog, the perches went into their trunks. The twins let the owls stay on their shoulders knowing they wouldn't fly away from them. After that they grabbed a few odds and ends before heading back to the Dursleys.

Bella and Harry spent August studying from their new books. Bella was perhaps a bit more zealous when it came to studying than Harry was but that was nothing new. By the end of August she had notes from all her new books color coded and organized by subject. Potions and any materials related to potions were in a green notebook with all notes written in green ink. Herbology and any related notes were inside purple notebooks with matching ink. Defense against the Dark arts was in Blue, Transfiguration was in yellow, History of Magic was in orange, Astronomy was in gold, Charms was in red, and any interesting things that weren't school subjects were in a color coded white notebook.

It took an insane amount of time to read most of the books she had bought, take notes, organize and reread them over again for comprehension. Which is why it wasn't until the day before they were to leave for their train that Bella discovered that Harry was quite famous in this new world of theirs and that no one knew she existed. It happened when Bella had started to read a book on wizarding fairy tales, everything else had been packed away and she had thought to take a break by reading it. However, when she got to the second story titled 'The Boy-Who-Lived' Bella had been so stunned by the introduction she dropped the book altogether.

Then she picked it up and furiously mesmerized every line, rereading it a dozen times before she forced Harry to read it also. Her mind was working in over time, the tale had to be an exaggeration but in every legend (even Harry's) there had to be a nugget of truth. A dark wizard had murdered their parents; that much was clear. That everyone in this new world knew Harry's name, yet knew nothing of her was disturbing and troubling. "Bloody hell," Harry said letting the book fall limply from his hands.

"You said it brother dear," Bella muttered plopping down beside him on their shabby little bed. "Bugger," Harry said as he ran his hand through his hair, "well so much for laying low again." Bella laughed and hugged Harry to her. In her heart Bella felt the stirrings of deep dread, Harry did not see it yet but Bella knew that this was more foreboding than it seemed. From Mcgonagall's vague letter, to this, to how they had ended up with the Dursleys, it all felt very wrong to her. Bella thought she could only hope that this feeling was foolish and nothing would come of it.

September 1, the Twins woke bright and early so they could catch a ride with their Uncle on his way to work. Harry was once again wearing the Number 2 hat but this time for a very different reason, to hide his infamous scar. The made it to the station at eight, a good three hours before the train was set to depart, with their trunks in their pockets, their bags hanging over their shoulders and each had an owl perched on a shoulder. Hand in hand they made their way to the magical platform, each trying to give the other strength and generally ignoring the looks they were getting.

Bella petted Eros absentmindedly, distracting herself by reciting in her head all she had learned about the rare black barn owl. Hedwig, Harry's white owl, was a snowy owl and generally ignored Bella. They were so distracted by their thoughts that when they walked up to the entrance of the platform they almost missed it. Harry took a deep breath and Bella squeezed his hand, both were silently hoping for a small crowd this early in the morning. So when they walked through the wall both heaved a sigh of relief when they only saw one or two families milling about the station awaiting the train.

It only took twenty more minutes for the train to come chugging up to the station, the sight of it was awe inspiring and Harry thought he'd never seen anything so cool. The got a compartment very easily as one of the first arrivals and they used their extra time to get comfortable. Bella sent Eros ahead, Harry followed her example and then they both changed into their uniforms to save time later. Afterwards they got a bit of breakfast from the trolley lady and then they settled down to wait for eleven o'clock to come around. Harry pulled out a deck of exploding cards to play solitary while Bella pulled out her Potion notes along with 'Most Potente Potions'.

Slowly the station got more and more full, students from all years boarding the train chatting and laughing with friends. The twins watched from out their window as families bid goodbye to their children no small amount of envy in their gazes. When watching the farewells became too much Bella shut the blinds and squeezed Harry hand. After a bit Bella went back to taking notes on potions and Harry leaned his back against hers beginning to read a book on Transfiguration.

Just when the train started up the door to their compartment opened revealing three red headed boys, two were twins and the youngest looked about their age. "Hey there, this is my dear brother Forge," "He's Gred, and this" "is little" "Ronnikins". The twins said alternating between the two. Bella smiled; there was a sense of kinship between twins. "He's Harry," "She's Bella," "Its nice," "to meet you," they said alternating between themselves. "Bloody hell not another pair," Ron said looking a bit green.

Bella just went back to reading her book, hiding behind her hair, Harry on the other hand smiled at them warmly. "In case you haven't guessed we're twins too, though obviously I got the good looks," he grunted when Bella elbowed him. The red headed twins laughed, "Well it was nice meeting another set," "even if you are a bit mismatched!" "Take care," "Ickle Ronnikins". With that the twins left Ron who plopped down across from them. Harry seeing that he was going to stay put his book back inside his bag before pulling out his new set of cards. "Care for a game of exploding snap?" Harry offered, Ron eagerly agreed.

While they played Bella put her potion book away along with her notes and pulled out her very worn copy of Wuthering Heights. She had read it probably over a dozen times already but for some reason the book never lost its appeal to her. She had all of Emily Bronte and Jane Austin's novels stashed away in her bag for pleasure reading; of course Harry thought she was mad. Not too long into the ride the trolley lady returned and Harry grabbed some money from her to buy the lot of it. She didn't mind that so much since Bella also wanted to try out the new sweets.

They shared with Ron, he generally ignored her in favor of Harry but Bella didn't mind that so much used to being the Twin in the shadows (at least in public). A little while after Ron was explaining what chocolate frog cards were another visitor opened the door to their compartment. It was a nervous looking boy and a bossy looking girl with bushy hair, right away Bella disliked her. She was way to pushy, demanding if they'd seen a toad and babbling on about the spells she'd studied. It just rubbed her the wrong way because even if she knew more things than others of her age Bella hated to brag. That's what she felt the girl was doing, bragging, still she kept quiet and was glad when she finally left.

Ron left soon after to change into his robes and then they arrived not to long afterwards. Bella kept a firm grip on Harry when the crowds surged around them and was a little stunned by the sheer size of the man greeting the first years. Hagrid was his name, the keeper of the keys and grounds of Hogwarts. He guided them to the rickety looking boats that would take them across the lake. The rocks were slippery and Bella fell so many times trying to get to the boat eventually Harry just gave her a piggy-back the rest of the way.

Laughing as he did so, "You know it seems like I carry you more than you walk," Harry teased. Bella just stuck her tongue out at him and hopped into the first boat he stopped at. Ron and the nervous boy from before joined them as the boats took off across the dark waters of the lake. Bella was very uncomfortable because she swore that their boat was going to sink at any moment. Harry lost the feeling in his right hand she was holding it so tight. But when they came around the bend in the lake the gasps were audible through the crowd of boats. Bella was so impressed with the castle she let go of Harry's hand in amazement, the castle glittered in the night standing proud and beautiful. It looked timeless.

They made it up to the castle, Hagrid found the toad the 'nervous boy' had lost, and then he directed them to a stern looking older woman. It was the infamous Mcgonagall, and she was nothing like the twins had imagined her. Mcgonagall was explaining the houses and the way house points worked. However, Bella was too busy worrying thinking of ways she could trick her way into the House Harry was sure to get into.

She knew her traits were more Slytherin, or Ravenclaw while Harry was most definitely a Gryffindor. Bella thought that it was because she had been forced to be sly/sneaky to get anything good for them growing up. Harry didn't like manipulating people, it came from his hate of how much power the Dursleys had over them and Bella could understand that. However, it didn't change the fact that Harry grew up protecting her it made him a Gryffindor in her mind. There wasn't an ounce of darkness in Harry, at least at Bella's point of view and there was just no way he could get into any house that suited her.

If it was Ravenclaw Bella had a high possibility of being sorted there because of her love of books. If it was Slytherin Bella thought it would be because of her manipulations of anyone who could improve their lives. Harry only favored reading when he was bored; he only studied so rigorously because Bella made sure he did. Harry didn't like to be sly about things, preferring to rush in headfirst and be honest about his feelings. Sure he could be very cunning should the occasion call for it but that was only when she pushed him to it. Sighing, Bella knew she had already quietly decided that she would be following her brother no matter what, just like she had always done and probably always will.

Harry was all the family she had in the world and she would not lose him without fighting tooth and nail. So when the doors of the Great hall opened up Bella held Harry's hand tightly and smirked a bit when he patted his hair down in front of his scar again. He had gotten rid of the hat before they had left the train and was slightly paranoid about it being revealed. The twins waited patiently, both knowing when everyone knew their full names things were going to change for them. Bella already suspected that Ron was going to behave very differently when that happened.

Finally Mcgonagall came to her name, "Belladonna Lily Potter," a rush fell over the crowd and Bella felt a deep blush rising up her cheeks. Harry pushed her forward and she stepped up to the hat reluctantly, whispers on all sides were driving her slightly mad. Just before the hat fell over her eyes she swore she saw a look of disbelief on the old Headmaster's face. Nothing happened at first, for a good few minutes she waited for something to happen but nothing.

Then after a little bit a very faint voice sounded in her mind, "Well this is interesting," it said faintly. Bella thought it might be the hat talking to her in her mind but she couldn't be sure because the voice sounded so very far away. "I can't read your mind, I can barely talk to you, tell me child where would you like to go?" Bella squashed down her excitement; apparently she would get to choose because the hat couldn't read her! She wouldn't have to convince it to send her somewhere totally unsuitable now. "Gryffindor, send me to Gryffindor." She replied. The hat might have said something else but Bella couldn't hear it properly, so it yelled out, "GRYFFINDOOR!" The people in the Gryffindor clapped but it was more that they were confused than ecstatic about her joining them.

Harry smiled at her and gave her a thumb up as she made her way to the table and Bella nodded smiling in return. "Harrison James Potter," Mcgonagall called next. If Harry thought the whispers were bad for Bella it was a thousand times worse for him but he just stared straight ahead going to the hat. Just as it fell over his eyes he caught a glimpse of Bella's uncomfortable face as the people at her table turned to stare at her. He bristled wanting to get this over with quickly so he could go to his sister and protect her from them.

"Ah Mr. Potter, now isn't this interesting you are the exact opposite of your sister. While she is exceedingly hard to read, you are as clear as day to me. How intriguing. Now where to put you? You're loyal, oh yes very, but only to your sister so far. Hufflepuff wouldn't be a terrible fit but not quite. Lets see, definitely smart but it seems your sister is the only thing pushing you to pursue knowledge. So not Ravenclaw, though that wouldn't be a bad fit either. You are sly, cunning, but you don't like to be that way…no you prefer to let Bella take that burden. So not Slytherin. Well, there is only one place for you no matter you fit all the houses to some extent. So it must be…" "GRYFFINDOR!"

The cheering from that table was deafening when he took the hat from his head, the twins they had met earlier were dancing around saying 'we got the Potters'. However Harry was too busy making his way to Bella's side, she looked ready to die from all the attention on her if her cherry red face said anything. He sat down next to her and almost instantly she buried her face in his shoulder, hiding behind her hair in an effort to escape their eyes. Harry held her and glared at anyone who looked in their direction. Soon the sorting commenced and the students' attentions were dragged back to that.

"Bloody hell mate, why didn't you say you were Harry **Potter**," Ron asked as he sat down across from them. Harry scowled, "Is it really that important, it's just a last name." "Of course it is! You're the Boy-Who-Lived for Merlin sake!" "Well, I don't think I want to be famous for something I can't remember," Harry replied trying to quell his anger at the red head. "But…" Ron began but Harry quickly cut him off, "I don't want to talk about this anymore." Then Harry promptly ignored him while trying to coax Bella off his shoulder so she could eat.

In this he was only partly successful as she still hid behind her hair and eventually she returned to his shoulder after a few bites. Harry was so worried about Bella he didn't pay attention to anything else so he missed it when a certain Professor scowled at him the moment his head began to ache. However, Harry thought it was his exhaustion talking and was very relieved when the feast was over. An older student rounded the first years up and guided them to their new home, the Gryffindor dormitories.

Harry was sure he would get lost more than a few times trying to find it again; hopefully Bella would remember whatever he forgot. They stopped at a portrait of a rather large woman, aptly named the 'Fat Lady'. The Older student faced them, Harry's eyes immediately was drawn to the shiny badge on the boy's chest. "This is the entrance to the Dormitory, every week the new password will be posted in the Common room be sure to memorize them because you can't enter otherwise." With that he turned to the Fat Lady and said, "Lionheart" the portrait immediately swung open to reveal the Gryffindor common room.

The whole thing was decorated in reds and gold, it was a very loud room though Harry thought it was very welcoming. "The girls are on the left, the boys are on the right, and for those of you thinking of sneaking into the girls side know that it warded against boys." The older boy said before everyone began to break apart to head to his or her respective rooms…it had been a long day. Harry remained next to Bella who seemed very reluctant to let go of him and Harry felt the same about letting go of her.

It was comforting holding her hand in this new and very strange place where they knew virtually no one. The first time they had gone to the boarding school had been the same way, though Bella had managed to sneak into his room for a while. Deciding on it Harry turned to tell Bella that he'd try to get to her tonight but she beat him to it. "I'll try to get into your rooms when the others go to sleep," she whispered before taking off for her new shared rooms. "Like pulling a Band-aid," Harry murmured watching her go before turning to head towards his own rooms.

That night after his new roommates had gone to sleep Bella managed to sneak up and they held each other's hands as they drifted off to sleep. They had no idea what the next day would bring, but good or bad it was going to come. All the twins could do was prepare themselves for it and try to get along here. As they drifted off to sleep that night one had terrible dreams of countless stares and whispers. The other had dreams of failure and of a small cupboard under the stairs that seemed to be ominously awaiting his arrival.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The stone

The next morning Bella woke up early enough that she avoided detection from Harry's new roommates and her own. She didn't think she could deal with any more attention than what had already been saddled on her. She got dressed for the day, putting her hair into a ponytail to keep it from bothering her and gathering all her class books/notes. She pulled out a blank black notebook for taking notes during her classes along with a few quills and ink. Bag over her shoulder she went down to the Common room to meet up with Harry who was waiting for her.

The managed to find their way to the Great Hall, though a few times they got turned around because the staircases moved. They were early enough that only a few other people were eating in the Hall and so they were relatively left in peace. Mcgonagall came around shortly after they arrived with their schedules and after scanning over their classes Bella turned to Harry. "We should finish breakfast quickly and try to find the way to our classes so we don't get lost later." Harry hummed his agreement before quickly finishing up the rest of his bacon.

Holding onto each other's hands Harry and Bella left the Great Hall to explore the magical Castle they would eventually call home. It was breath-taking, suits of armor lined halls, portraits greeted you as you walked past, ghosts floated about, stairs moved, and every time they turned a corner there was something new. That was just the Castle, the grounds were just as amazing, older students flew over their heads, a giant squid seemed to wave at them from the lake, the forest was so dense and foreboding that they were certain it held many secrets.

They managed to find the way to all of the listed classes with enough time left over to make it to their first class on time. Bella managed to drag Harry to the front of the classroom where she proceeded to stare at the cat sitting on the Professor's desk. There was something off about that cat, it sat too still, too rigid, and it hadn't tried to talk to her yet. Most animals seemed to sense something about her, and always said something even if they didn't expect her to answer (though she always tried to).

This cat was strange and wrong, so Bella had suspicious eyes on it while waiting for class to begin. About two minutes after class was suppose to have started Ron came barreling in through the door looking very relieved when he didn't spot the teacher. However that relief was short lived, as no sooner had he caught his breath was the cat changing from animal to human. Bella resisted the urge to shout 'I _knew_ it!' Though it was somewhat amusing for her to watch Ron get dressed down by Mcgonagall, not for Harry though as he was hoping to make friends with Ron.

Class began soon afterwards and the first hour was spent discussing nothing besides the theory behind transfiguration. Bella took notes on the insights Mcgonagall gave to transfiguration as a Master of that field but did not quote her verbatim on everything. Her reasoning being she already had plenty of notes on the theory alone, these notes had to be on things she hadn't quite understood until they had been explained. The rest of the first day of classes went well, charms was fun and the professor was very entertaining to be around. Professor Sprout was very warm and welcoming, Bella enjoyed her class very much. Though Bella did notice the Professors staring at Harry and then her sometimes with the oddest look on their faces. When they stared at her in particular it was as if they couldn't quite believe she existed…if that made any sense.

They didn't encounter any problems until they entered Potions for the first time. Bella had been excited; potions came easily to her because of her extensive knowledge of the kitchen. However, when their Professor banged into the classroom like an overgrown bat immediately belittling them, Bella knew she wouldn't get very much enjoyment from the class. He began calling roll like the other professors but when he got to them Bella noticed him pause. The professor was studiously ignoring her presence, like he couldn't even bare to look at her.

When he got to Harry, immediately, his tone became sneering and very antagonistic. "Mr. Potter, our new…_celebrity_," Bella decided right then that she didn't like this man…Snape, not at all. Snape then spent the next few minutes grilling Harry on questions he didn't know the answer to, and though she was tempted Bella knew Snape would notice had she given him the answers. So instead Bella grasped Harry's hand from beneath their lab table and tried to comfort him that way. Harry smiled a bit at her, nodding, it told her more than anyone else could know from a simply nod.

They were twins, like all twins there was a connection so deep between them that it was almost like they had a secret language all their own. Harry's nod told Bella, that he was ok, that he had dealt with bullies before and this one would not break him. Bella smirked in response, telling Harry that this year was not going to be easy for Snape. Once one has made an enemy out of Belladonna Potter one does not simply walk away unscathed and there was no easier way to make an enemy of her than to go after her twin.

Bella had not been wrong when she had assumed the hat would have placed her in Slytherin, very readily, had said artifact been given access to the girl's mind. As a product of their environment both twins could be quite devious when they needed to be, but out of either of them, Bella was the one most inclined to it. Bella knew she had darker tendencies than her Twin did because Bella wasn't the one in the Hero's role. Harry was brave, kind, and had a strong sense of morals. He had to be this brave knight for her outside of their house, Harry was her champion and Bella appreciated that.

However, inside of their house it was rife with low morals and cruel hearts. The Dursleys didn't accept brave words and fearless faces, that didn't stop them from raising their hand to them or cutting short their food. No their 'relatives' only responded to being deceived, manipulated, bribed, and blackmailed. That was Bella's job because Harry hadn't the stomach for something so degrading. It didn't bother Bella, she was good at what she did and her little revenge plots helped sooth their anger.

So when Harry saw Bella's eyes narrow a bit from behind her bangs he knew that Snape was not going to have a good year, hell he was not going to have any good years. Not while Bella was around to have a say in it and that allowed him to let go of that smoldering knot of anger in his stomach. It was doubtful that his sister even knew how much she saved Harry, he wouldn't allow himself petty revenge but that didn't mean he didn't crave it. Unanswered cravings and bottled rage had a tendency to eat at a person's soul; Bella saved him from that as she was the sword to his denied darker desires.

After Potions, Harry couldn't make it to the Great Hall fast enough wanting to leave that overgrown bully and dark room behind. With Bella as his partner their potion had of course turned out perfectly but that didn't mean he was going to like learning it. Bella walked calmly next to him, ignoring the passing looks they got and sitting very coolly beside him at the table. Harry piled plates for them both before tucking into his own meal. He recognized the look on Bella's face, she was plotting something and he really preferred not to know.

Their owls, Eros and Hedwig, interrupted her thoughts however swooping down to them with packages tied to their legs. Bella beamed at Eros, tenderly feeding him some chicken while taking it from his leg. Harry was eyeing his dubiously but he gave in eventually sighing handing Hedwig some strips of his sandwich before taking his also. "Isn't it wonderful! We've got them already now we can do our homework all at once without worrying about it!" Bella said waving the thick package in the air, the homework from the Academy that their Aunt had forwarded. "Yeah, wonderful," Harry grumbled. He still couldn't believe she was making him continue his studies in the non-magical sense on top of his magical one.

Still looking at her ecstatic face he decided to suck it up and take one for the team. If it made his twin this happy then that was enough for him to suffer through it, Bella wasn't the only one self-sacrificing. Harry never felt like he was a part of the world they had left behind, but this magical one fit him so well. However, Bella was not the sort of girl who would trap herself to any one world; instead she would rather kill herself by trying to be a part of both. 

The rest of the first week was spent getting into the groove of things and finding their way to their classes. Bella spent most of her spare time either in the library or somewhere on the grounds. She always had a book in her hand, preferring to throw herself into learning as much as she could and generally she avoided everyone besides Harry. Harry on the other hand soon became friends with Ron, and was always striving to be of friendly acquaintance to most everyone he met.

As they got more comfortable with their new school Bella stopped sneaking into Harry's bed at night and they both soon began to be absorbed by their own lives. Still, after dinner Bella made sure to force Harry to do his Magical and Muggle studies. She was a hard taskmaster and Bella would not allow Harry to be lazy on any aspect of his learning. No matter how much Harry really wanted to get into Ron's way of studying (which was not at all) his sister would not allow it.

Eventually both fell into their own routines, Bella was too shy to actively make friends and Harry was too sociable not to be surrounded by at least three people. It was much like when they had been attending the non-magical boarding academy and while they did find time to spend with one another that time was usually full of other obligations. Bella felt the most at home when she was striving towards something because that was how she grew up. Since she was a small child she had been ruthlessly pursuing a path that would lead her to success and a life free of the Dursleys.

Bella had been the motivator, the one with all the plans and so she was the one planning now. She was the one driving them both to some unforeseeable goal and mostly Harry was just along for the ride. Harry was more of a social butterfly, as he had to be growing up and so he was busy making friends to create his network. Bella had given him that role, he was the most comfortable with it and so he chose to continue that in Hogwarts. Bella, even as a small child, had seen the importance of knowing the 'right' people. The 'right' people by her definition were anyone and everyone. One never knew when someone could become useful after all, and it wouldn't do to underestimate anyone.

However, she was much to shy to go about connecting with people and so that role fell to Harry. It was a role he was quite good at by now, it was familiar and Harry resumed it almost unconsciously. Anyone who tried to talk to him was welcomed, encouraged and generally Harry became very well liked. Even among the other houses, excluding of course Slytherin, Harry had a good reputation as very down to earth and friendly. Harry enjoyed his popularity but he didn't lose himself in it. Ron was still the only one he hung out with in any consistency but hardly anyone noticed.

The first month of school Bella and Harry established a rhythm to follow but every day ended the same. Harry would hug her goodnight and she would kiss his forehead while wishing him good dreams. This was all done away from prying eyes of course because some things just aren't meant to be shared among others. Within the first month Snape was also running into a spot of very bad luck it seemed. His chair broke on him at least four times a week always just as he sat down, his notes were always misplaced, and his robes had on occasion turned colors without his notice (pink, yellow, bright purple, neon orange, and baby blue so far). Not to mention he kept finding strange things in his food, flies, spiders, feathers, marbles, and at one time a rubber ball.

Needless to say he was in a horrible temper the entire month and the students suffered for it. Though they didn't seem to mind so much as it was a very amusing show. Every time something strange, or unlucky happened to Snape, Harry would seek out Bella give her a hug. He never breathed a word of it to anyone, but one night he hinted at it to Ron. Who had been too dense at the time to understand his meaning but his twin brothers, who had been nearby, were not.

So right before the end of this first long month the Weasley twins got a hold of Bella, literally, they picked her up by her arms and dragged her off to an unused corridor. "What's this about then?" Bella asked generally curious about why she was being lifted up a foot off the ground by two red haired boys. They set her down grinning devilishly at her, "We want to know how you managed it!" Fred said excitedly. "Right, we've been trying to get at him for ages!"

"It's a bit sad really!" Fred said turning to his twin with a whine. "To be outdone by a firstie!" George said in a sigh barely managing not to smile. "For shame" "Quite right dear brother!" Bella just sat back in amusement watching the two dramatically bemoan the fact that she had outdone them. Pride flickered inside of her and she smiled gently at the thought that she could be proud of her little pranks. No one had ever praised her like they were about the things she had done before and it motivated her in a way.

"Enough dear brother we must hear how it was done!" Both turned eager eyes on a red faced Bella who stammered a bit at the attention. She managed to reveal a bit of her secret to them, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. The twins grew to love having Bella around during their little escapades and Bella grew to love having two friends. Of course they were very different in personalities; the twins were both very loud and uninhibited. While Bella was more reserved, and focused on studying being terribly shy. They made an odd trio but they were happy with it.

To the twins Bella was a good source for new ideas for both pranks and new joke items. For Bella, the Twins were geniuses able to give her all sorts of help with some of her more outrageous ideas. If Bella wasn't in the library now, she was by the Twins helping them with their devious little plans. This of course resulted in a whole new level of hell for Snape. It had the happy consequence of causing Snape to be so distracted trying to catch traps that he didn't bully anyone as much anymore and he laid off Harry a lot.

It was extremely satisfying for Bella and Harry. It was about a month and half into their new school that they had their first flying lesson. Harry was a natural and his reflexes were unmatched by anyone. He managed to catch Neville before he fell off his broom when he took off at the beginning of the lesson. Bella didn't fair nearly as well, she flew nicely but it made her feel very uncomfortable to do so, on a rickety old broom. Harry had caught the attention of their Head of House during the lesson and he became the youngest seeker in a century.

Bella was happy for him of course but it lead to a not totally unexpected confrontation between Harry and a certain pompous blond. He was challenged to a duel at midnight in the trophy room. Harry wasn't one to back down and he readily agreed choosing Ron for his second. Bella already had plans with Fred and George to raid the restricted section so she couldn't go with Harry to his duel. She did wish him luck and told him that it was entirely possible Malfoy was setting him up for a trap.

Harry only nodded and said, "Well it would be better for me to regret something I have done then to regret something I haven't." Bella nodded and told him to keep both eyes open. She met the twins in the usual secret passage to the library and they set off right away. Fred took the map and stood just outside the section on look out and distraction duty should anyone stumble in on them. While George showed Bella his trick to getting books off the shelves without setting off the alarms on them.

He went for books on charms, transfiguration, and hexes, things that would help them with their joke inventions. Bella went for books on animal transformations and obscure magics. All the while she had no idea her twin was running into a room filled with a rather large three-headed dog. The next morning was the start of something strange, Harry became distant to her and though no one else would have noticed Bella could feel the difference. He was keeping something from her and it hurt her to know.

Magic was something she could lose herself in when the pain she was feeling threatened to engulf her. For Bella magic came as easy as breathing sometimes and even if she didn't know why it was so she was thankful for it. The Twins were friends but they had their own special connection to each other. Bella couldn't help but feel like the interloper sometimes when she hung around them. Harry was distant, but he was still her twin. She wanted desperately to know what he was hiding from her but Bella couldn't work up the courage to ask.

During this time she noticed that Harry was spending most of his time with Ron and that bossy know-it-all Hermione from the train. This baffled her since Ron and Hermione got along as well as oil did with water. Still she said nothing, concentrating all her time in studying and trying the transformation from human to animal. Bella had this with a faint hope in her heart that if she could get the transformation right she could start to teach Harry. It was her hope that doing so would bring them together like they used to be and bring down the wall she started to feel being formed between them.

During the Halloween feast she was running through ideas in her head when the Defense Professor burst through the door screaming about a Troll before promptly passing out. Bella looked at him disgust well hidden behind her eyes; secretly she was glad she used his class to study other things. This confirmed for her that this so called defense Professor was utterly incompetent and would never teach her anything worthwhile. He came in second next to Binns in her mental list of incompetent teachers.

As she was following the Prefect out of the Great Hall Bella noticed that Harry was dropping back to the end of the line along with Ron who was looking extremely guilty. For a moment she wavered on following them but the ache in her heart made her feet start to move after them even before her brain made her choice. Bella caught up to her twin silently following just behind the two, unnoticed in their rush to get to Hermione in the girl's bathroom.

Apparently Ron had something stupid and had sent the girl off crying all day. Harry was going to warn her, Ron was tagging along and Bella was simply following them to ensure her twin was safe. They found Hermione quickly enough, just not before the troll did. For a moment no one knew what to do and so Bella stepped in just before her twin could do something stupid. Harry was one to act first, plan later. "Harry get Hermione, Ron distract the thing," Bella ordered startling the two boys so much they froze of a second, "NOW!"

Harry dove for Hermione spurred into action from his sister's loud demand while Ron picked up some of the smashed bit of marble from the Troll's destruction. Ron started to throw bits of whatever he could get his hands on at the troll while Harry guided Hermione along the wall to the door. Bella worked on summoning the club from the Troll's hand, which was not easy with the grip it had on the thing. But thanks to Ron's distractions she managed it and used magic to bash the troll over the head with its own club.

It was out like a light, the other three stood in stunned silence for a bit staring at it but Bella was busy thinking things through. She had read about trolls, they were strong but stupid there was no way one could have gotten in on its own. Turning her attention to the other three she noticed the Professors' voices around the corner. Hissing in annoyance she said, "Let's get out of here!" They all managed to just get around the corner before they could be discovered.

Their adventure did not manage to tear down the wall that seemed to be forming between the Twins and it made Bella feel more alone than ever. In fact, it seemed to do the opposite and drove them further apart. The trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione hung around each other almost constantly now. With little else to do Bella threw herself into trying for a transformation in the vain hope that it would bring Harry back to her.

Meanwhile Harry was having a turmoil all his own. Hermione had advised against telling anyone else about the 'fluffy' incident because it would cause more problems then it would solve. More importantly it would drag Bella into this confusing situation that was obviously very dangerous. Harry couldn't drag Bella into this mess and risk anything happening to her. So he had kept his silence about it even though he was dying to confide in her all these troubling thoughts.

Harry was sure Bella would be able to figure this all out in a moment. Hermione was smart but she didn't hold a candle in his mind in comparison to his twin. Bella was terrifying when you gave her the chance; give her a few facts and a couple hours Bella would have figured this all out. Harry just couldn't help but draw back when the thought of her hurt came into his mind. He had spent his life protecting her whenever he could and that instinct wouldn't allow him to bend now.

What he failed to realize that in keeping this important secret from Bella a wall was slowly building between them. His fierce need to protect her was driving a wedge between them that could not be seen only felt. They went through the motions of before; she still kept him in stern sights when it came to their schoolwork magical and muggle. They still said goodnight, still had that inherent connections all twins did but there was something between them now.

The months passed by in a blur, Harry trying to figure out a mystery with his new found friends and Bella studying furiously. Before either of them realized it winter vacation came and with it the school emptied. The quiet Bella had been so searching for before was disturbing now that it was so readily found. Without realizing it she had gotten used to the crowded castle and bustling Great Hall. Now that only a few remained Bella didn't feel very comfortable inside the too silent castle. Not with Harry as distant as he was now and with nothing major to take up her time.

That was how she found herself out in the snow, bundled and layered with warming charms, staring at the forbidden forest in contemplation. Her book bag only held a few of her books and her odd outside notes along with a packed lunch. It was taking her longer than she thought it would to work up the nerve to enter the foreboding looking forest. Bella was glad she had woken up early to eat breakfast and get here before everyone else got up. It gave her the time she needed to work up her nerve to step lightly into the forbidden forest and go exploring.

Ever since that old crazy Headmaster had forbidden the students entry to this forest and the third floor she had made it a point to go exploring there. The third floor had a very large Cerberus in one of its rooms but Bella had been able to talk the big guy out of making her his chew toy. She even visited him from time to time to play with him since he got almost as lonely as she was. It had taken her a few days to figure out what exactly the Cerberus was guarding and now Bella was certain the Headmaster was as mad as a Hatter. To hide the Philosopher's stone in a school full of overly curious children, seriously what had he expected to happen?

Still with the third floor and most of the castle itself explored (thanks to the twins) Bella had run out of places to explore with any excitement. So here she was walking along the trees of the forbidden forest wondering if she would run into anything that she couldn't handle. Eventually she came to a small icy looking pond that hadn't quite frozen over and the clearing was pretty as well as open. The trees circled it and it was just snow with the pond now. However Bella was certain it would be a beautiful spot come spring, with flowers and animals coming for a drink.

She took a seat among the protruding roots of one particularly old looking tree and found that she was comfortable enough there once she brushed away the snow. It was peaceful, and quiet in the right sort of way that the castle wasn't. Sighing Bella was happy she found a safe feeling place in this intimidating forest and relaxed a bit. She had thought of spending her time here reading but she didn't relish the thought of taking off her gloves so that she could turn the pages. Finally she settled on practicing her animal transformations and radiating her magic to give it a stretch.

Radiating was something she had picked up from one of her fiction books, though she couldn't remember which one exactly. Bella had been practicing it since they had first discovered their magic and it was very relaxing to do. It involved letting her magic free reign, so-to-speak, and though the loss of control was frightening at first now it was just freeing. Radiating her magic made her pulse with it, it colored the air around her with her magic and it wasn't exactly discreet. Which was why Bella had not had the chance to do it for quite some time now.

It wasn't surprising that when she let go the clearing was flooded with her magic and she lifted a bit off the ground from the force of releasing so much energy. It felt good like stretching a muscle that had been cramped up for way too long. Without the pressure from keeping her magic locked under her control Bella found she could think much clearer. Transforming into any animal was harder than she had expected and with schoolwork from her non-magical school along with her other studies it was hard to find the time to devote to it. Now relaxed and with a mind clear Bella decided she would try to accomplish something today in her transformation.

She had spent countless hours studying various animals' forms, the anatomy, the habits, the recorded instincts and everything so she could be prepared. Bella had studied a wide variety of animals, horses, deer, birds, wolves, dogs, cats, tigers, leopards, and the list went on. There were countless meticulously taken notes on the animgus transformation and anything in her rather large fiction collection that had people transforming into animals. Still the only things Bella had managed so far was to grow a bit of fir on her arms and that wasn't much in her opinion.

With her mind clear from the overwhelming pressure of her magic Bella realized the problem she had created in her overzealous drive to transform. There were too many options, too much knowledge and so her focus was lost along with her transformation. What Bella needed to do was choose one to focus on to change into first and then when she had that form mastered to work on the next. Now to decided on which form to pick since they all had their strong points and their weaknesses.

Looking around her snow piled setting Bella felt inspired and finally settled on the animal she would try for first. A few hours later Bella was grinning like mad at her hand, which was now a snow-white paw. She let the accomplishment wash over her and relaxed into the roots of her tree. It was a start, and Bella knew that eventually she would get the transformation.

Christmas came without much fuss from Bella and when she woke that morning to find some presents at the foot of her bed she was very much surprised. So she got up and went to see if Harry had had a similar experience, taking her unopened gifts with her. Harry was still asleep and Ron was snoring beside him though Bella could see that they both had a pile of presents on their beds also. She sat on Harry's bed and decided to read the cards on her gifts before she woke them up.

Two of her presents were from the twins, one from their mother that was surprising, almost as the one from Hagrid and one was from Harry. That made her curious so she looked over Harry's pile and saw that her present had been delivered to him also. Bella decided that she would put that out of her mind though since it would only disturb her to dwell on it. Just before she woke up Harry, Bella decided to go grab the magical camera from her room since she had yet to take any pictures with it and she decided to change that now.

So both Harry and Ron were woken up by a flash of light and a loud crack from the camera while she tried her best not to laugh at their loud complaints. They were soon distracted by their presents however, so Bella could take all the pictures she wanted. Bella opened her gifts quickly, a prank book from Fred and some joke sweets from George. A green sweater from Mrs. Weasley that had a 'B' on the front of it that matched the one Harry had received from her also.

From Harry she had gotten a thick, beautiful blank photo album and Bella resolved right away that she was going to take a lot of pictures from now on so she could fill the entire thing up by the end of Hogwarts. She snapped a picture of Harry's floating head with a smile wondering who was foolish enough to give him an invisibility cloak. Shrugging Bella put it out of her mind since she had enough on her plate right now than trying to figure out life's little mysteries. She readied her camera again deciding that she wanted to take a few pictures of Hogwarts itself for her album.

-x-

Harry pulled Bella along holding her hand tightly, and was practically vibrating with excitement. He had to show her the mirror he had found and give her the chance to see their parents too, it was only fair. Harry pulled her into the room with the mirror and put her in front of it pulling off the cloak from them and stepping aside. He was a little frustrated when she didn't look into the mirror right away and instead seemed to be keeping her eyes on the inscription above it.

Bella looked at the mirror, almost too scared to look inside it at all and eventually she looked into it. She was a little disappointed that she didn't see her parents like Harry had, instead it was like looking into the future. There she was, her future self all grown up with a round belly and another baby in her arms. There was a shadowy looking man at her side, children all around them; Harry was at her side also with a blurry woman and his own children.

They had a huge family, so many kids, and they weren't alone anymore. "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall…" Bella whispered as she touched its smooth surface, this mirror reminded her of Snow White. This mirror was just as misleading and cursed. "We shouldn't come here anymore Harry," Bella said quietly. "What! Why not! Don't you want to see our parents? Aren't they great! Why!" Harry asked desperately.

"Harry…our parents are dead and long gone. We could waste away in front of this mirror; it does no good dwelling on impossible dreams and forgetting to live." Bella turned away from the mirror, never once telling Harry that she had not seen the ghosts of the past but a possible future. This mirror showed you what you most desired, Harry desired to correct the past and Bella wished desperately for a peaceful future. It did no good dwelling on either for too long forgetting to live in the present.

She tugged Harry out of the room, intent to get the hell out of there. Harry would return later without her, for a few more times before he ran into Dumbledore and the mirror was moved.

-x-

Bella was glad when the winter break ended and the students came back. Harry hadn't quite forgiven her yet for refusing to go back to the mirror and she couldn't take the quiet much longer. She had spent most of her time with Hagrid, surprisingly, since she had to thank him for making flutes for her and Harry. Though Harry had just put his in his trunk and forgotten mostly about it. Bella had been trying her hand at playing it, and it was going mostly ok.

Hagrid was nice, a very good listener, and he knew so much about magical creatures Bella was always interested in talking to him. Her animal transformation was going on steadily and with the twins and Hagrid keeping her company she didn't feel as lonely. Hagrid was a nice man, though a bit loose lipped, and very oblivious though he meant well. That was why Bella was naturally very suspicious when someone just gave Hagrid a dragon egg of all things.

Bella made sure Hagrid knew what he was getting into when she had found out about the egg and the danger of being found. Hagrid said he was prepared for the consequences but Bella wasn't so sure. So it was with great reluctance that Bella decided to contact Ron's brother Charlie who she remembered working for a dragon reserve in Romania. Bella found herself with more free time on her hands since she had gotten used to her schedule, her transformation would be complete soon, her schoolwork was always done the night it was given and without any real friends to take up her time.

Since she had some time on her hands Bella had taken to taking pictures of everyone and everything about the castle. It made her feel a bit like she was a part of a school yearbook committee, which made her ask the librarian if there were any yearbooks of her parents. What surprised her was how Madam Pince looked at her bewildered asking her, 'what's a year-book?' Bella was very surprised to find out that they had never even heard of a yearbook, let alone had one of her parents.

That got her thinking; since she was taking pictures of everyone anyway, why not make her own yearbook. Before Bella knew it she was snapping pictures of every student in Hogwarts and taking notes on their names, favorite things, and year rank. Since she was doing this anyway, she decided to put some effort into it and make it great. Designing layouts, bios, finding out about any clubs and their activities so she could do a spread of them. She went so far as to study every professor at Hogwarts, and not just the ones she attended class with.

It was all very interesting and Bella was finding herself very excited about it turning out well. Though she was a bit disappointed to find out that there wasn't very many clubs at Hogwarts, just Quidditch, a choir and a few study groups. Time flew by and before Bella knew it Hagrid sent her an owl saying the egg was going to hatch. She made it into his oppressively hot hut and was startled to find Harry there with Hermione and Ron. Harry was still refusing to talk to her but Bella could tell he was going to crack soon. Ron and Hermione didn't really acknowledge her much since Harry refused to do so.

Watching that dragon hatch was probably one of the most beautiful things Bella had ever seen, and barely managed to hide her glassy looking eyes from the others. Luckily they were distracted by Hagrid's rather loud wailing and didn't notice her hastily rubbing her eyes. "Hagrid you can't keep him, you know that right," Hermione asked with her best slow calm voice. "Yeah, mate you live in a bloody wooden house! Not very fire proof mind," Ron mumbled. "Ron don't you have a brother who works with dragons?" Harry asked while avoiding Hagrid's teary eyes.

Ron sputtered red in the face from being put in the limelight and becoming the target of Hagrid's teary black beetle eyes. Bella huffed, "Oh for goodness sake, I already owled Charlie, he will pick…Norbert…up sometime next week. We are discussing dates and times." "How do you know about Charlie!" Ron shouted torn between surprised and indignation. "I owled him when I found out Hagrid had gotten ahold of a dragon's egg, I remembered what he did and that he was your brother. I figured he knew Hagrid and would want to help." Bella said talking slowly and annunciating every word. After all Ron wasn't known for his quick wit.

Somehow this turned into an argument of epic proportions and Bella wasn't sure if she even wanted to argue her point against the three of them. Harry was just being petty, he knew he was close to breaking down and talking to her so he wanted to add fuel to his anger. Hermione and Bella had a mutual dislike of each other stemming from the fact that while they both were very bright, they had different views on how the world worked. For Bella the world was a cold calculated place that sometimes you had to break the rules/laws to get what needed to be done. For Hermione she was a stickler for authority figures and how she thought the world would be always have fairness in mind.

They clashed because Bella had seen more of the world's darker side and had already come to accept that the world wasn't going to play fair. So why should she? Besides Hermione resented her for being real competition for the top of every class and Bella had the feeling she wasn't used to sharing the title 'brightest girl in the room'. With Ron it was simple, he had wanted to be the hero of the day and Bella had stolen his chance at the limelight. Bella never liked him much anyway since he seemed like a jealous, immature, prick that was a fair-weather friend. If this was what having a friend was like Bella was glad she didn't have any, they were too troublesome.

Bella kept up communications with Charlie Weasley for three weeks before it was decided that Charlie and his friends would meet them just outside Hagrid's hut near the forbidden forest. Charlie had wanted to do it from the Astronomy Tower but Bella had talked him out of that since it would be easier for them to get caught getting the dragon there. Then the night of the pick up Ron got bit by Norbert and ended up in the hospital wing with a swollen hand.

He had apparently had a note of all things in his transfiguration book and Bella was almost certain Malfoy had seen it. The bloody idiot would ruin everything. Harry insisted he be there to help Hagrid see Norbert off as a friend, and Bella had to go because she still had to finish her enchantments on Norbert's moving crate since it couldn't be finished until it was sealed. Since it was so short notice there was no time to change the location of the meet, and sending off an owl now wouldn't do much good as it would take too long to get a reply.

Not for the first time Bella wished there was a magical equivalent to cell phones since it would take care of this problem. She decided that she might work on the idea as a side project latter but for now she just had to worry about not getting caught. Hermione insisted on coming along to so all three of them squeezed under Harry's invisibility cloak and snuck down to Hagrid's hut that night. It was not a comfortable journey since they had yet to reconcile over their disagreements.

When they finally made it Bella just got to work right away after Hagrid put Norbert into the crate. Bella tried her best to ignore Hermione who was being a nag trying to get her to discuss what she was doing. It was very distracting and Charlie along with his friend arrived in the middle of it just as Bella finally managed to tune her out. Thankfully they were quiet and let Bella finish her work.

Charlie was younger than Bella had expected, only seventeen, and he had a kind face. Charlie had the famous Weasley red hair but his was a darker shade than Ron's or the twins. He had a nice tan and was very fit in a casual way. He smiled at her warmly and shook her hand saying, "Its nice to finally put a face to your letters." Bella noticed his hands were big, and engulfed her own easily.

Bella blushed beat red, "Yeah likewise." She said.

"So what were you doing there," Charlie said gesturing to the crate.

"Oh," Bella began wishing her blush would die down, "I was casting some protective spells, fire proofing, unbreakable, feather light, stability charms, and cleaning charms so you don't have to worry about…ah well I'm sure you know." She said fidgeting.

Charlie's face blossomed into a broad smile, "Wow, you already know how to cast those! I didn't get the hang of half of those spells until fifth year. You sure you're only eleven," he said jokingly.

Bella hated the fact that her face seemed to get even redder somehow, "Ah, well, I love magic," She said lamely.

Charlie just smiled at her, "Well that is where it all starts! Love something enough and you want to learn everything about it. Hagrid was the one that got me interested in Dragons, of course, spent quite a few nights out in the forbidden forest with him studying creatures! Learned more from him than my Care of Magical Creatures Professor!" He said. Hagrid blush and tried to brush it off. Charlie didn't let him though.

"Yeah, Hagrid knows a lot about creatures, I usually ask him when I am curious about a creature I uncover during my studies. He usually know more things about them than the books do!" Bella agreed blush finally dimming a bit.

"Yep, Hagrid a great source of information when it comes to creatures. Mind you his definition of 'dangerous' isn't usually the same as us normal blokes. Though I must admit, he was right about dragons! As long as you respect their power and appreciate the danger they can be, Dragons are a lot friendlier than the books give them credit for. Though tickling a sleeping one is never a good idea, they're grumpy when they first wake up." Charlie said.

"Fascinating," Bella said honestly as she helped them situate Norbert's crate between their two brooms. She blushed red but managed to make herself ask, "Do you mind if I still send you letters from time to time. I'd love to get more information about dragons from such a reliable source." She said.

Charlie smiled, "Course! I'd be delighted to help bring another crazy magical into the fold!" he said laughing.

Bella blushed and then watched them take off a bit reluctantly…she hadn't expected Charlie to be so nice. As she was saying her goodbyes to Hagrid, Bella noticed that Harry and Hermione were heading back to the castle without her. That didn't bother her much since she had recently mastered the disillusionment charm (thanks to the twins) but it did bother her that Harry was forgetful enough that he had left his invisibility cloak. She hurried after the two of them with the cloak and hoped she managed to get to them before they ran into any teachers.

They had just made it to the entrance hall when Bella caught up with them throwing the cloak over them desperately as she heard McGonagall's voice. Bella shushed them harshly when they made to protest her rough treatment and thankfully they listened as McGonagall walked by dragging Malfoy by his ear. Bella was frustrated by their foolishness went on ahead and the two of them followed her sheepishly. They made it back to the dorm without getting caught and then went off to bed.

Hermione looked like she wanted to talk to her but Bella snapped her curtains around her bad closed. She was just so frustrated, Harry wasn't talking to her, and this distance between them was killing her. The next morning Harry took her aside before breakfast pulling her into one of the numerous empty classrooms. "Look, Bells, I'm…I'm really sorry I've been such a Berk to you." He said smiling at her, "Forgive me?" he asked.

Bella sighed, "Of course, we're the only family we have Harry, and we can't afford to be mad at each other." She began.

Harry smiled, "Thanks Bells," he said sighing in relief.

Bella held up a finger, "But I want to know what the heck you've been keeping from me. This is the worst fight we've ever had and it wouldn't have happened if you had just let me in!" she said scowling.

"But, Bells," Harry began.

"No! Harry, you need to tell me, stop making excuses not to and spill!" She said jaw set stubbornly.

Harry slumped, "Ok, well…it started that night I went to duel Malfoy." He began. Harry told her about finding the monstrous three headed dog on the third floor. About his suspicions of the Gringotts break-in, the mystery of Nicholas Famel, and their suspicions about Snape since the Quittich game where he had almost been thrown from his broom.

"Well, if you had bothered to tell me any of this I would have told you about the Philosopher stone months ago!" Bella said exasperated.

"I know! Hermione only realized it after the break and she even had a book already checked out on him and everything!" Harry whined.

"I think you're wrong about Snape," Bella said abruptly causing Harry to gape at her in disbelief.

"What?! Why!" He said.

"Think about it, Snape is way too obvious! If Snape wanted you dead he wouldn't pick such an obvious way…a counter curse has the same symptoms as a curse. Besides, Snape is a _**Slytherin**_, if he was going to steal the stone no one would have noticed until it was gone. Slytherins, especially one as slippery as Snape, are just not that careless as to let _first years_ discover their debacle plots!" Bella argued.

"Well if not Snape then who!" Harry asked frustrated his stare suspect was so thoroughly shot down.

Bella had a considering look on her face, "If I had to guess, my money's on Quirell," she said. At Harry's look of utter disbelief she continued on stubbornly, "No really, I've been researching all the professors here," she said.

"Why have you been researching the professors?" Harry interrupted.

"I'll tell you about that later, but in my research they only one acting out of the ordinary with suspicious behavior patterns is Quirell!" Bella said.

"Why Quirell, it could be one of the upperclassmen, why does it have to be a professor?" Harry questioned.

"Simple, the professors are the only ones that would know enough magic to even attempt a break into Gringotts. Even the seventh years wouldn't stand a chance, and the one who broke into Gringotts is obviously the same someone trying to steal it now." Bella said.

"Still _**Quirell**_?" Harry said.

"You really need to learn to look past the fronts people put up Harry, and yes, Quirell. I mean really think about it, he was the one to 'warn' us about the troll. Trolls are stupid, that's putting it lightly, no way is one going to break into Hogwarts without some help. Before he went on his sabbatical Quirell was noted to be very gifted in dealing with trolls, and that's only the first of many inconsistencies." Bella lectured.

"Ok, well, convince me then," Harry challenged.

"Fine, first of all, that turban he wears that absolutely reeks of Garlic? He says it's to ward off vampires but anyone with even a barest knowledge of vampires knows that their only real weakness is _fire_. If he had really run into vampires which is supposedly why he stutters then Quirell would know that! So why the garlic, and why the turban?" Bella said.

"Not only do the troll incident, and the garlic turban make him suspicious…have you _really listened_ to his stutter? It so _**fake**_, remember that kid at the academy that had to transfer cause he was so bullied about his stutter? It was _nothing_ like how Quirell stutters, his stutters are so calculated it's sad! If his stutter is fake, _why_ is he faking?" Bella said passionately.

"There is only one reason I can think of for pretending to have a stutter and it is so that people will over look him when looking for possible thieves. I mean really, who would suspect P-p-p-poor s-s-s-stuttering Q-Quirell?" Bella asked stuttering eerily similar to Quirrel to make her point.

Harry looked at her dumbfounded, "Well…wow. I knew you were smart but sometimes Bells you're just plain scary." He said slowly.

"Why thank you dear brother mine," Bella said happily, "Now what we really need to figure out is Quirell's motives."

Harry blinked, "I thought that would be obvious, infinite wealth and life from a stone. Who wouldn't want that?" he said.

"Normally I would agree with you, if I didn't think he was the one who cursed your broom." Bella said.

"Okay, I don't follow, why does that matter? He might have thought I knew too much and had to cover his bases." Harry said.

"That doesn't make any sense, you didn't even suspect him and he is trying to be covert. The last thing he would need would be for a body to show up and bring a whole lot more investigators into Hogwarts. So why risk everything going after you? Why would he do that, risk being discovered to try killing you? What would that accomplish?" Bella asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me." Harry said.

"I have a theory, I think Quirell isn't the one who is truly after the stone…I think he wants it for someone else. You said yourself that you thought Snape wanted it for Voldemort, its stands to reason that Quirell might as well. Quirell doesn't have enough power or skill to do what he is doing now. Someone is helping him, someone we wouldn't notice or see, and I think that is Voldemort." Bella said seriously.

An ominous silence came between them as Harry contemplated Bella's suspicions. It was a lot to take in but suddenly a lot more was starting to make sense. Suddenly his headaches made sense when he went to Quirell's class, the troll, and Harry wasn't sure what to do with this information now that he had it. "What do we do?" Harry asked at a lose.

"Well, we can't really do anything can we? All we have are suspicions and not enough evidence. If we went running to another teacher with this even Dumbledore, they'll just dismiss us. They'll think we're crazy kids that are sticking their noses where it doesn't belong," Bella said.

"But what do _we do_? We can't let Quirell get the stone." Harry said determinedly.

"We watch him; I don't think Quirell will make a move with Dumbledore here. He has messed up too much already to risk going after the stone with Dumbledore here to potentially stop him. So we'll wait until Dumbledore leaves, and get the stone before Quirell can." Bella said.

"I've really missed you," Harry said.

"I know," Bella said as she pulled him into a hug.

After that Harry kept an eye on Quirell and Dumbledore. Everything was winding down, exams were coming up and Hermione had the trio in a tizzy trying to prepare for it. Bella was confident that she knew the material so she was a little more relaxed, she managed to finish her transformation and still spent time with Hagrid. When Hagrid brought up that he was going into the forest to look for an injured unicorn Bella volunteered to help him.

Then Harry decided he was coming along because there was no way in hell he was going to let his sister go into those woods alone…at night…with something out there hurting unicorns. The night was still, it was a good ten days before the full moon so Bella wasn't worried about werewolves. Harry was paranoid though; he even convinced Hagrid to give him a crossbow too and somehow managed to carry it. The crossbow had very obviously been made for Hagrid so it was huge and unruly in Harry's much smaller arms.

They split up when the trail did, admittedly Bella acknowledge it probably wasn't her best idea going out into the woods following a trail of silver blood. It was just the thought of a _unicorn_ out there hurt that put reason and logic on the back burner. Every little girl loved unicorns, beings so pure and good. Bella wanted to help this one, even if it meant heading straight into danger.

Then Harry hissed in pain dropping to his knees as they came upon a gruesome sight, a unicorn fighting weakly as a cloaked 'man' or thing sucked horribly from a gash on its neck. Harry was down, and Bella was spitting angry without really thinking it through she heft up the crossbow. She fired arrows so quickly that the cloak thing barely had time to react, one landed solidly into its shoulder and it screeched as it ran off.

Bella ran to the downed unicorn, it needed her more than Harry did, and tried her best to save it. She focused all her magic on _heal_; Bella chanted it as her hand glowed over the wound as she tried to stop the blood loss. Harry got up groggily and fired sparks up into the sky to get Hagrid. That's when things got weird, a centaur rushed into the clearing, Harry held him a wand point, Hagrid came barreling in too while the Unicorn grunted as it feebly tried to stand.

Somehow, Bella had managed to save it but the Unicorn was far from healthy. Bella coaxed it to follow her back towards Hogwarts while Harry talked to Hagrid and the centaur. Bella refused to leave the unicorn and tended to it at the stables while Harry went to bed. Hagrid helped her get the unicorn out of the danger zone of it might still die to stable before he crashed too. Bella slumped against the unicorn's flank as the sun rose and passed out.

It seemed like only a minute later Harry was shaking her awake telling her that Dumbledore had gone, Hagrid had told Quirell how to get past Fluffy and they had to stop him from getting the stone. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Bella made to the third floor as quickly as they could…it still wasn't enough. Fluffy was already sleeping and the trapdoor was open. Harry ran and jumped in blindly. Bella followed him cursing up a storm on his stupidity. Ron and Hermione followed soon after.

It seemed like time was speeding up after that, Bella lit the Devil's Snare on fire, Harry caught a key, they went past the troll holding their nose and Ron sacrificed himself in a mad game for Chest. The challenge that stopped them the longest was Snape's logic puzzle and that was only because Harry tried to go on alone. Bella refused to leave him, Hermione left to get help for Ron and them. Harry went through first and then Bella had to wait for a few moments for the bottle to refill.

Those moments were costly and made Bella feel helpless as she listened to her brother fight Quirell. As soon as she could she drank and came barreling through the flames. Quirell's hands were around Harry's neck and he was screaming as Harry held his face in his hands burning him with his touch. Bella didn't think she just acted, transforming into a white wolf she charged Quirell knocking him off her brother. Harry was panting weakly on the ground pain keeping him from moving.

Bella didn't stop, she nipped at Quirell, and they circled each other as she tried not to listen to the parasite on the back of his head. She needed to be bigger and just as Harry managed to haul himself to his feet to help Bella struck. Somehow her magic enlarged her wolf form and she was big enough that she could snap his head off with one bite…so she did without a thought to protect her brother. Then she spit out the head and transformed back horrified at what she had done.

A black mist screamed at them as it fled from Quirell's body and they both watched it numbly. It had all happened so fast, Bella tasted the blood on her tongue and Quirell's deformed head stared up at them morbidly. "What am I going to do?" Bella asked Harry weakly as she scrubbed her face free of blood. "I killed him…what am I going to do Harry? They'll throw me into Azkaban for this…" she said weakly pale as a ghost.

Harry had a hard look on his face as he marched up to Quirell's corpse and began to burn it up impossibly fast with his magic. He vanished the ashes, cleared the air and cleaned up the room…scrubbing away the blood like it was nothing. "No they will not, nothing happened Bella," Harry said as he kneeled in front of her looking her dead in the eyes, "Nothing happened Bella, we came stopped Quirell, he ran, we don't know where or how…cause we will be knocked out when they get here. Do you understand? _**Nothing happened**_." He said fiercely.

Bella nodded weakly letting Harry clean the blood from her mouth and clothes before he knocked her out. Then he slammed all his magic out in a big rush shattering the mirror and draining him so completely he crumbled into a heap on the floor. That was how Dumbledore found them when he finally made it; the two of them passed out in a heap near each other…no sign of Quirell anywhere. The mirror was shattered but the stone was safe.

When the two of them woke up a few days later Bella didn't say a word and Harry pushed the truth about what had happened so far down inside of him…refusing to acknowledge it for fear of losing his sister that Dumbledore found nothing when he looked into Harry's thoughts. Bella stared at a wall listening to Dumbledore talk to her brother and wondered why she felt so numb. She had killed someone, bitten someone's _head off_, shouldn't she be feeling something…**anything**. Bella was so far inside herself that she didn't even realize how suspicious Dumbledore's evasive answers were.

She stayed in the Hospital wing until the end of term and then Harry picked her up to take her to the express to go back to their relatives. He tried to get some reaction from her by telling her about Gryffindor winning the house cup and even tried to get her angry at Dumbledore's refusal to let them stay at Hogwarts. Bella reacted a bit when he told her about Dumbledore being the one to leave them at the Dursley's but then she shut down again soon after. It was going to be a long summer.

**A.N.: Holy S**t I did not think I would finish this so soon! AH First year down six to go! Let me know what you think about this story. I'd love some more feedback! Reviews are much appreciated, special thanks to Mangal2012, Lady Ashwinder, Kenjo, SesshomaruPegasus, LoveInTheBattleField, and Mimiru for being my first reviewers! Thanks for your encouragement! **


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